What Will It Take?

Opinion

New travel data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau shouldn't surprise anyone who has ever sucked exhaust fumes on Interstate 4.

Next to congested Miami-Dade County -- which Gov. Jeb Bush once wryly observed was the birthplace of road rage -- Volusia County residents have the second-longest commute to work than any other county in the state, statistics show. The commute for Orange County residents ranked fourth-longest in the state, after Broward County. Seminole County led the state in the percentage of commuters who drive alone to work.

Central Florida, however, is one of the largest urbanized regions in the country still lacking a mass-transit rail alternative for traffic-weary commuters. How bad must it get before regional leaders are moved to act?